Weekly Companion Animal News: June 29, 2026

Akston reports GLP-1 therapy shows promise for feline obesity

An investigational GLP-1 therapy has shown promise for safely reducing food intake and limiting weight gain in healthy cats, according to research from the Akston biosciences company. Investigators also found the weekly therapy (AKS-562c; Akston) to be well tolerated in felines over a period of 12 weeks with no detection of treatment-related toxicity or treatment-emergent antidrug antibodies. The research was presented during the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine’s 2026 annual conference in Seattle, Washington.

Pet Poison Helpline sees ‘staggering’ surge in calls regarding hallucinogens

Hallucinogen-related pet poison calls have jumped by more than 1,000% since 2020, according to Pet Poison Helpline. The company reported receiving more than 600 such calls in 2025, compared with approximately 50 in 2020. Calls for pet exposure to hallucinogenic mushrooms and their toxic components psilocybin and psilocin, as well as muscimol and ibotenic acid, substantively increased starting in 2020, with the greatest number of calls recorded in 2023 before plateauing in recent years.

Cats age like humans, with comparable patterns of brain deterioration

Cats and humans share similar age-related changes in brain structure, including overall shrinkage, expansion of the ventricles (the hollow spaces inside the brain filled with fluid), and other structural alterations, according to an international collaboration between the University of Bath in the UK, Auburn College of Veterinary Medicine in the US and École Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse in France. The research offers new opportunities for studying human aging and age-related diseases for two key reasons: First, pet cats – unlike many laboratory animals – can live long enough to develop age-related brain changes similar to those seen in older humans; and second, cats have shorter lifespans than humans, meaning the factors affecting aging can be studied at a much faster rate in cats than in humans.

Weight loss can improve breathing in brachycephalic dogs: Texas A&M trial

Research at Texas A&M continues on the impact of weight loss on breathing challenges experienced by brachycephalic dogs, but early trends are encouraging. Dogs that have reached their ideal body weight and completed the program have shown improvements, including less respiratory noise. The researchers emphasize that while weight loss may not eliminate the need for surgical intervention in every case, it may provide a meaningful, lower-cost option to improve quality of life. Maintaining an ideal body condition is linked to longer lifespans in dogs, meaning even modest weight loss may have benefits beyond improved breathing.

Texas A&M reports innovative technique to treat cat with urinary stones

After surviving parvovirus and enduring months of chronic urinary tract infections, the year-old cat was referred to Texas A&M, who through an ultrasound discovered kidney stones as the cause of infection. Historically, when cats have this disease, the Texas A&M team uses a subcutaneous ureteral bypass device, a medical implant used to bypass an obstructed or blocked ureter. But this is not ideal in a young cat because they have the risk of becoming infected or clogged with long-term use, said third-year veterinary surgery resident Dr. Meghan Watt. Instead, the team chose a new technique known as a side-to-side ureteroneocystostomy, which allows urine to bypass the blocked part of the ureter. It was the first time the procedure had been done at Texas A&M. Following a five-day stay in intensive care, the cat was discharged and has since settled comfortably into life as the center of attention.

EU approves first-ever rules on breeding, importing cats and dogs

The European Parliament approved the EU’s first-ever rules covering the breeding, housing, traceability, import and handling of cats and dogs. Under the new rules, all cats and dogs kept in the EU will be required to be microchipped and registered in interoperable national databases. In addition, animals imported from non-EU countries for sale will have to be microchipped before they enter the bloc and then registered into a national database. Sellers, breeders and shelters will have four years from the legislation’s entry into force to comply with the new requirements. For pet owners who do not sell animals, the obligation will kick in after 10 years for dogs and 15 years for cats.

Dr. Al Jergens receives ACVIM Lifetime Achievement Award

Dr. Jergens, Iowa State University professor of veterinary clinical sciences, is an expert of veterinary small animal gastroenterology who has led advances in canine and feline inflammatory bowel disease microbiome analysis and organoid research. A DVM graduate of Texas A&M University, he held the Donn E. and Beth M. Bacon Professor in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery endowed chair from 2015-2024 and is an ACVIM Diplomate with a specialty in internal medicine.

Ontario bans medically unnecessary surgeries

Effective Jan. 1, 2027, Ontario’s new regulation will prohibit feline declawing, canine ear cropping and canine devocalization while preserving veterinarians’ ability to perform these procedures when necessary to treat injury or disease. While the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association is pleased with the regulation, OVMA President Dr. Janice Honda expressed disappointment that it excluded canine tail docking and declaw removal.